Our weekly tech newsletter. Subscribe today on our blog.
Quick hits
- AI in the (White) house: Head honchos of Google, Microsoft, and Microsoft-backed OpenAI talk AI ethics with VP Kamala Harris at the White House today.
- Frenemy alliance: Apple and Google team up to thwart unwanted Bluetooth tracking from devices that help find lost keys and luggage.
- Open source by force: European regulators might require ChatGPT and other AI developers to reveal their sources.
- Prof is my co-founder: Tech company CEOs debate pros/cons of academics as founding team members at the TechCrunch Early Stage conference.
- New love symbol: A Czech couple exchanged smart rings at their wedding, allowing them to see—and feel—each other’s heartbeat.
- Lost in space: Japanese space company iSpace searches for a missing robotic spacecraft after failing to nail a moon landing.
- Meh financials: Big Tech quarterly reports are in and it’s not as bad as some had feared.
- Hail? yes: Uber’s revenues are up 30% percent thanks to new services and the return of ride-hailing.
‘It’s as if aliens had landed’
The Godfather of AI says AI is getting scary. The new generation of large language models (LLMs) like OpenAI’s GPT-4, are a lot more advanced than Geoffrey Hinton had imagined. “These things are totally different from us,” he told MIT Technology Review. “Sometimes I think it’s as if aliens had landed and people haven’t realized because they speak very good English.” Hinton waited until his retirement from Google to make his concerns public. Asked about AI chatbots’ tendency to make stuff up, he said “confabulation” is more like a feature than a bug.
AI as antidepressant matchmaker
A six-year-old company out of Tel Aviv is touting the promise of personalized medicine for fighting depression. The company, Genetika+, plans to emerge from stealth mode next year to introduce AI that matches patients with the antidepressants.
Tech founders want to live forever
Scientists estimate that lifestyle is responsible for about 93% of a person's longevity. That gives plenty of hope to tech titans like Sam Altman who are investing handsome sums in age-defying tech and research. Entrepreneur Bryan Johnson spends millions trying to reduce his own biological age. He converted his bedroom into a mini research clinic, where he pops dozens of pills daily and exercises strapped to monitoring equipment searching for clues.
No-ChatGPT-chat history is history
Bowing to pressure from regulators, open source competitors, and, perhaps, their own common sense, OpenAI now allows you to keep your ChatGPT convos private—though you can’t hold onto them for future use. The company says it created team to tackle data management and security and intends to and give researchers more direct access to its raw data sources.
Is AI creating more jobs than it kills?
The debate is raging in nearly every corner of every industry: Will AI be more helpful than harmful? AI is likely to create more jobs than it eliminates, according to German Labor Minister Hubertus Heil, who cites the automotive industry as an example. On the other hand, IBM’s CEO says AI could replace upwards of 8k jobs at the company. Even the most optimistic seem to agree that it’s important to prevent bias in training data and the need to ensure that workers have the necessary skills to succeed in a shifting economy.
Want late-night TV? Pay writers more
The impact of video streaming services on Hollywood bottom lines is on full display as over 10k members of the Writers Guild of America strike for the first time in 15 years. They’re demanding greater pay and job security, citing the reduction of both since streaming came into vogue. For now late-night TV is on ice.
The Weekly Pulse
Tech workers are paid to innovate
Tech workers earn an average of 85% more than workers in other industries. This can be attributed to the high demand for skilled workers in tech, as well as the industry's focus on innovation and productivity. As the demand for technology continues to grow, it's likely that the wage gap between tech and other industries will only continue to widen.
Tweet of the Week
Trending in Tech
Top 5: Enterprise software
One thing that every company needs is enterprise software. Regardless of what direction the economy is heading in, that need is not going away any time soon. Startups disrupting the industry include Forward Networks, Hiro, Wonolo, RevenueCat, and Panorama Education.
Top 5: Mobile tech
Mobile tech is one of the areas that’s seen super-charged growth following by super-charged growth. The latest example is unfolding in Canada, where the race is on to improve satellite phone service. Across the globe, entire regions are working to quickly expand their mobile capacities for everything from commerce to voting. Startups breaking into this industry include OneSignal, Securly, Recharge Payments, Bolt, and Amplitude.
Top 5: Consumer Internet
Since the 1990’s, consumer Internet has been a booming field and a staple of the modern world. Startups disrupting this industry include Preply, ThoughtSpot, Neighbor, Athletic, and Madkudu.
What We’re Reading
- Meta, Google Talent Leaving for AI Startups, Khosla Says (Bloomberg)
- TikTok Is Launching Ad Product for Publishers and Giving Them 50% Cut (WSJ)
- Elon Musk threatens to reassign @NPR on Twitter to 'another company’ (NPR)
- How quantum computing could transform everything everywhere, but not all at once (GeekWire)
- Why cities continue to have a love-hate affair with e-scooters (CNBC)
Companies in the News
Lafayette, Colo.-based Orbit Fab, an orbital fuel supply startup, raised $28.5M led by Stride Capital. They’re hiring site engineers of all stripes, managers, and a COO.
New York-based Posh, a startup that does financial infrastructure for live experiences, raised a $5M seed led by Companyon Ventures. They’re hiring growth analysts.
Austin, Texas-based Pattern Bioscience, a healthtech that focuses on diagnostics related to antibiotic resistance, raised a $29M Series C led by Illumina Ventures. They’re hiring engineers, scientists, and inventory specialists.
New York-based CurbWaste, a cloud-based waste management platform, raised another $4M in a round led by TTV Capital. They’re hiring sales development representatives.